antepenult

[ an-tee-pee-nuhlt, -pi-nuhlt ]

/ ˌæn tiˈpi nʌlt, -pɪˈnʌlt /

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noun

the third syllable from the end in a word, as te in antepenult.

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“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

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Origin of antepenult

1575–85; <Latin (syllaba) antepaenultima the second (syllable) from the last, feminine of antepaenultimus standing before the penult. See ante-, penult

OTHER WORDS FROM antepenult

pre·an·te·pe·nult, adjective

Words nearby antepenult

antenuptial marriage contract, anteorbital, antepartum, antepast, antependium, antepenult, antepenultimate, anteporch, anteportico, anteposition, ante-post

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use antepenult in a sentence

This anie eare may if he accent the antepenult matrmonie, or the penult matrimnie, or the last as matrimone.
Of the Orthographie and Congruitie of the Britan Tongue|Alexander Hume
If the penult is short, the antepenult is accented provided it be long: Sansthā́naka.
The Little Clay Cart|(Attributed To) King Shudraka
For purposes of assonance little use is made of words accented on a syllable preceding the antepenult.
Legends, Tales and Poems|Gustavo Adolfo Becquer
(b) A word stressed on the penult may assonate with one lx stressed on the antepenult.
Modern Spanish Lyrics|Various

The accent must fall on the penult, if it was long, otherwise on the antepenult of the word.
The Common People of Ancient Rome|Frank Frost Abbott

British Dictionary definitions for antepenult

antepenult

/ (ˌæntɪpɪˈnʌlt) /

noun

the third last syllable in a word

Word Origin for antepenult

C16: shortened from Latin (syllaba) antepaenultima; see ante-, penult

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012